Dr. Joan Mae G. Perez-Rifareal had her Residency Training in Psychiatry at the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital and served as the Chief Resident after her training.  

She obtained her Fellowship Training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.  

She topped both the written and oral Diplomate examinations given by the Philippine Board of Psychiatry in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and was conferred as Fellow of the Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA) in 2014.  

In 2016, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the PPA as the PRO, in 2023 as the Board Secretary, and in 2024 as the Vice President.

As a strong advocate for mental health, she has appeared on various social media platforms, TV, and Teleradyo shows to discuss a wide array of topics on mental health.  

She has also had speaking engagements and won awards for her work in Psychiatry, both nationally and internationally.

For her dedication to promoting PPA and mental health in the country, she was recognized as an Outstanding PPA Member last January 2023 and was also one of the recipients of the PPA Presidential Award of Merit last January 2024. 

She is currently the Mental Health Consultant of the Office of the President of the Philippines – Presidential Management Staff. 

Moreover, she is the current President of the Philippine Psychiatric Association. 

She is also the Residency Training Officer of the Department of Psychiatry and the Official Spokesperson of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.  

She is also active in the academe as a Faculty member of both the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) and the Health Sciences Program of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).